This Feels Like Falling in Love
by CouchPotatoHead
Summary: Read to reveal their deepest secrets, and know what boundaries have they crossed along the way as they continue their journey in Hogwarts.


*~* This Feels Like Falling in Love *~*

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Written by CouchPotatoHead

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**Summary:** Nightmares. Tension. Grief. Loneliness. These made the life of Hermione Granger rough after the War. Being the Head Girl and all, she had to share the dormitory with Draco Malfoy, which was the Head Boy, and luckily, her friend. Read to know what secrets were revealed, and what boundaries have they crossed in their final year in Hogwarts.

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**Author's Note:** A DraMione one-shot. This is Rated T due to strong, matured words and slightly detailed intimate moments of the characters. Anyway, the story happened after the War, in their Seventh Year in Hogwarts. This is actually my very first one-shot, so please go easy on me. Really lengthy, but I still do hope you'd find time reading it. My other story, "The Unexpected," is still continuing, and I do hope you'd read it if you haven't read it yet. If this gets reviews, then maybe I'd make a one-shot sequel of this, and it would probably be Harry and Ginny's turn. So, share me your thoughts, and review.

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**Disclaimer:** The famous world of "Harry Potter" is created by none other than the Queen, J.K. Rowling. I wouldn't be writing fan-fictions if I was the author of the book, would I? I own nothing, except for the plot of this fan-fiction. And the songs featured in this fan-fiction are from the rightful owners and songwriters. The title of this story is from the lyrics of the song, "Kiss Me," by Ed Sheeran.

Thank you to Ed Sheeran and One Direction for inspiring me to write this one.

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_And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck._

_I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet._

_And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now._

_~ "Kiss Me," Ed Sheeran_

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Ever since their Fourth Year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy had this nagging feeling deep inside him. He had found out that he was _somewhat_ attracted to the Gryffindor bookworm, Hermione Granger, who was also in his same year.

He had thought all about it before he had become a Fourth Year. During all summer, he had locked inside his room in Malfoy Manor, thinking all about her. He had tried to erase these special feelings that he had for her, but he just couldn't. The feelings were too strong to be forgotten completely.

That was why he ended up giving the Golden Trio – especially to Hermione Granger – a tip or perhaps two during the attack of the Death Eaters during the Quidditch World Cup match between Bulgaria and Ireland, summer of their Fourth Year. He didn't know why, but he just had the urge to give them a tip, for the safety of Hermione. He also couldn't sleep that night after he hit her with the_ Densaugeo_ curse instead of Potter, causing to make her teeth to grow out uncontrollably, on that very same year.

Another was his full support in Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad in their Fifth Year. And because of being a member of this squad, he found all about the Room of Requirement, where he did his task in repairing the Vanishing Cabinet for the Dark Lord and his secret mission to kill Dumbledore in their Sixth Year.

He knew that she hated her even more for that.

Draco Malfoy had no idea why he had even called her a 'Mudblood' way back on their Second Year. It must be because he was really pissed off after what she told him. It must also be because of what his Father had taught him ever since he was a young boy, that all of her kind is made of filth and are inferior. They, the Purebloods, are superior, and they should be respected by everyone. "Muggleborns aren't supposed to be existing in their world," that was what his Father had told him.

But, much has changed.

He had grown up, and his bastard of a Father is now in Azkaban, slowly rotting for good.

But, his feelings for the Brightest Witch of Their Age, Hermione Granger, still stayed in his heart, and he knew that. Because until now, on his final Year in their school, he still has feelings for her.

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She knew, deep inside her heart, that ever since she had slapped the so-called Prince of Slytherin way back on their Third Year, she had a strange connection with Draco Malfoy.

Hermione Granger was confused. The way that the Malfoy git would glance at her during meal times, whenever she and her best friends would pass across his group in the corridors, or even during classes, it was weird, and she would immediately feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

Sometimes, she would think that his stares were actually glares, especially because she had slapped him. But, it was a good thing, though, since he had also called her that offending 'M' word on their Second Year. Even though she is different from them, she still should be respected equally, at least. After all, like them, she is also human. Except for their blood heritage, they are all still human like her.

But, much has changed.

She saw how much Draco Malfoy had changed after the War. Surprisingly, he had fought with their Side. He had defected before Professor Severus Snape had killed the Headmaster, and became a spy for the Order of the Phoenix as he simultaneously worked for the Dark Side, sending them messages that could help them defeat the Dark Lord secretly.

Now, with the Dark Lord and his minions defeated, they could all rejoice for their triumph, but the War had also left them grieving for the dead. Fred, Tonks, Remus, Moody, to name a few. She had to stay strong for all of them, since Ginny and Ron had lost a brother, while she and Harry had lost friends.

But, she saw how Draco Malfoy had done. He had comforted the whole Weasley Family after finding out about Fred's death, and even hugged Molly and Ginny, telling them that Fred would still be there in their hearts. Draco had extended a hand to Ron and Harry, and the three had become friends ever since.

But most of all, he had comforted Hermione after seeing her all alone and crying in the Astronomy Tower, grieving for her parents' death when she found out that they had been attacked by the Death Eaters during the War. After that little encounter of theirs, they had a strong yet strange connection with each other. Whenever one was hurt or needed any help, the other one would figure it out right away.

Hermione was confused, somehow. She was confused of the weird feeling whenever she sees him after that. Was she, well, _falling in love _with him? She had no idea.

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Hermione sat up after waking up from her nightmare. It was always like this every night after the War. She couldn't sleep, even though she tried. Even after drinking the Dreamless Potion before sleeping, the nightmares still haunted her sleep. Sometimes, she would take in sleeping pills to force herself to sleep, or she would be up early and read or study in the common room.

But, tonight, it was different. She tried to drink the Dreamless Potion, but it took no effect. The sleeping pills that she had taken in have already lost their effect, causing her to wake up earlier than the usual. Sighing, she got up, placed her feet in her pink bunny bedroom slippers before standing up. She looked at herself in front of the mirror on her dresser. Staring at herself, she felt horrible.

There were large, dark bags under her eyes. She got paler and thinner than her usual self, due to her lack of sleep. She even lacks food, especially because of tons of schoolwork to do and her Head Girl duties, and she sometimes have no more time to go down to the Great Hall or summon a house elf to eat food.

Yes, she was the Head Girl in their last year in Hogwarts. Being the Head Girl had its perks – her own dormitory and more privacy for herself. The only thing that she was sharing was the common room and the bathroom with the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy.

The first time that she found out about this, she was quite happy for him, since they were starting to be friends at that time. Sharing the same common room and bathroom with him made their friendship stronger, and they knew a lot about each other because of this, too.

Hermione sighed as she tore her eyes away from the mirror. She got her wand from the dresser and headed for the door, silently opened it and got outside, and closed it gently afterwards, careful not to disturb Draco in his sleep on the other bedroom. She descended down the stairs and then sat on the carpet in front of the fireplace, starting a fire using her wand.

She rested her chin on her knees, hugging her legs as she stared at the fire in front of her. She wondered if it would be easier for her if she would burn herself right now to escape from all the problems that she was experiencing. She cringed at the thought, and shook her head.

_Why have I thought of that?_

The brunette rested her forehead on her knees. Sighing, she wondered if she could get any sleep.

She didn't notice someone walking towards her. She only noticed a presence when he stood beside her. Looking up, she stared at the blond Slytherin, who was looking down at her. His hands were tucked inside his pajama pockets, and his platinum blond hair which was usually neat was now quite messy.

"Why're you up early?" he asked her, and then turning his head to the Muggle wall clock on his left. "It's still three in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep," Hermione answered quietly, staring at the flames once again.

"Why's that?" Draco asked, sitting next to her, crossing his legs and his hands resting on his thighs. Hermione had just found out when they had shared the common room that Draco had always been a curious boy, and always tend to ask questions about things that he have no idea about.

Sighing once again – she had no idea how many times have she already sighed that day – she answered, "I had a nightmare. A bad one, that is." She looked at him, tilting her head as she thought of a question for him. "How about you? Why're you already up at this hour?"

He wasn't looking at her, and instead, watched the dancing flames in front of them. He smiled as he replied, "Couldn't sleep, either." His smile faded, and he turned his head to her, staring at her chocolate brown eyes. "Having a few nightmares myself, too."

She was quite shocked about what he just said. She wasn't expecting that he would also have nightmares after the War, and it was the very first time that she found out that he couldn't sleep like her. It must have been difficult for him, too. Hermione was also staring back at his slate gray eyes, and they were tired and sad. "It was about the War, wasn't it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, most of it." He ran a hand through his blond hair and licked his lips before continuing. "Some were after the War, just like losing my newfound friends." Draco was looking at her again.

Hermione had always felt uncomfortable under his scrutinizing stare. As if he can look deep inside her and as if he can read what she was thinking about. It was rather scary, really. "Well," she licked her dry lips, and she started fidgeting a bit. "You seem fine about it, though."

"I hardly sleep because of it." His pale eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her. "Do you have those dark eye bags for quite a while? It was my first time to see them."

"I used Concealing Charms to hide them," she answered quietly. "Makes me look more horrible than the usual, huh?"

Draco shot that trademark smirk of his. "Not really." He tucked a curl behind her ear, and she felt a little blush forming on her cheeks. His pale eyebrows furrowed once again as he continued examining her. Draco took Hermione's arm, and stared at it. He looked at her once again, asking, "You've gotten thinner. Have you been eating?"

She broke their eye-contact and stared at the flames once again. She remembered when she got a fever and Draco had to take care of her since Harry and Ron were serving detentions on that same night…

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_(A month ago)_

"_I told you to bring your jacket on the way to Hogsmeade, remember? But you didn't listen to me! Now, look at yourself, having a bad cold and a high fever," Draco ranted on as he squeezed the wet cloth and placed it on Hermione's forehead. Hermione, on the other hand, was shivering underneath the two thick blankets and comforters that the blond Slytherin has covered her. It was still no use, though._

"_All right, all right. I'm sorry," she sniffed. Draco rolled his eyes, got up and headed for the kitchenette, and continued stirring the soup that he was cooking for her. After cooking, he poured the soup to a bowl, and then levitated it to the common room and placed it on top of the table nearest to the couch where Hermione was lying down._

_Draco placed a spoon inside the bowl and stirred it once again. "You will eat this soup that I made, all right?" he asked – no, scratch that, he ordered her. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her arms. "You're thinner than before. You've been eating, haven't you?" he asked again, staring at her eyes now._

"_I'm in a diet," she answered, and then 'achoo'ed once again. Sniffing, she continued, "And it's normal for someone on a diet to be thinner than before."_

"_Oh, fuck that diet. I don't care about that 'diet' that you're talking about. You have to eat, Hermione. If you wouldn't, then you'll look like a skeleton soon," he told her with a chuckle._

_She rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny," she told him, faking a laugh which made Draco chuckle once again. "At least I don't have a very pale skin like yours. You look like a vampire."_

"_Hey, Malfoys don't look like vampires," he snorted. "Our pale skin runs in the family. It's hereditary. You're just jealous because you don't have nice skin like mine."_

"_I'm not jealous!" She stuck her tongue out at him before sneezing once again. How she hated colds!_

_Draco chuckled. "Oh, well. I would believe you, in one condition."_

_She wiped her nose before asking, "And what's that?"_

"_I wouldn't tease you being jealous of my perfect skin if you'll eat and stop that diet of yours."_

"_What? But I've been on the diet ever since-"_

"_Remember: I would tease you about my oh-so perfect skin, and I might _accidentally_ tell the whole school about it-"_

"_All right, fine!" she said finally, and then 'achoo'ed loudly, making Draco snicker at her, and she glared at him playfully. "I, Hermione Granger, swear that I would eat properly and never skip meals anymore." She extended her pinky to him, and Draco eyed at it strangely._

"_What am I going to do with that?" he asked innocently, still eyeing it._

_Hermione giggled. "Don't you guys know about 'pinky swears'?" she asked him, still giggling. Draco crossed his arms and glared at her. "It's like this: you shake my pinky with your pinky, and then you would tell whatever you would promise to the person you linked your pinky with."_

_Draco lifted a pale eyebrow and looked at her strangely. "Are you sure you aren't making fun of me?"_

_She rolled her eyes before looking back at him. "Of course, not. Now, extend your pinky and link it with mine," she told him before 'achoo'ing._

"_All right, then," he said finally, linking his pinky with hers. "Now, we've got a deal, Hermione."_

"_Yes, I know, Draco." She smiled as she eyed at the bowl of soup. Her stomach made a rumbling noise which made them both laugh. "I'm hungry, all right. Now, would you please feed me now?"_

_The blond smirked, before grabbing the bowl from the table and started feeding her._

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"Yes," she answered, almost a whisper. "But not that much, really. I've been quite busy lately-"

"We made a deal, remember?" Draco asked, and it was obvious that he demanded for an answer.

"Of course, I remember, but-"

"Look, if you'll be skipping meals and having that_ bloody_ diet once again-"

"Draco-"

"-you'll get thinner and thinner every day, which wouldn't be very good for your health-"

"Draco, please, listen-"

"-and you would be sick once again! Don't you know that Potter and Weasley wouldn't be very happy-"

"Can you please listen to me just for once?" she almost shouted to him. Draco stopped on his mid-rant, and was now panting, but was shocked when he heard her shout. She sighed in exhaustion, before saying, "Look, I couldn't sleep much, couldn't eat properly, and couldn't think straight because of the nightmares I'm having." She started crying, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I know that our deal-"

She stopped talking when Draco pulled her in a hug, and she instantly buried her face in the crook of his neck, and continued crying. She gripped his shirt for comfort as tears escaped her eyes, and the Slytherin seemed to feel her need for comfort, and hugged her closer to his body.

"It's all right," he assured her, running his fingers on her hair. "Just cry all that out, and tomorrow, you'll feel better." He buried his face on her neck as he continued patting her back and hugging her closer. A little while later, he noticed her breathing had slowed down, as if she was comfortable. He then realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms. Smiling, he slowly shifted his position so it would be easier for him to carry her back to her bedroom. He looked down at her face, her cheeks now damp because of her tears. With one swift move, he carried her up on his arms and slowly headed for her room, careful not to wake her up.

He gently turned the doorknob and got inside the dark room, only the moon was his source of light. Tired to open the lights, he placed her on top of her bed and covered her body with the crimson blanket. He was about to leave the room when he felt her hand grip his sleeve. Draco turned to look at Hermione. She was asleep, he was quite sure, so he guessed that she might be only dreaming. He was slowly removing her grip on his sleeve when she suddenly spoke.

"Please stay with me," she whispered to him, still with her eyes closed, almost begging. She gripped his sleeve tighter. "Please."

Seeing that there was no other choice, he smiled at her sleeping form and kissed her forehead. He then brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face after lying down next to her. Hermione seemed to feel his presence closer to her now, and she hugged him and buried her face on his neck, inhaling his scent.

"Thank you," she told him silently with a little smile and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Draco smiled, because even though he felt quite awkward how intimate their position is, he still felt like home in her arms. He wrapped her with his arms as he buried his nose on her hair, inhaling her scent – strawberries and vanilla. Smiling, he moved closer, and for the very first time in the past few months, he slept without fearing for any nightmares to haunt him.

Both of them slept peacefully for the very first time after the War. And for once, it was quiet and tranquil.

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_What the heck happened last night?_

Hermione was pondering all about this as she soaked in the bath tub later that morning. She was wondering once again about their very strange connection. From all the she had heard from the past, Draco Malfoy was the Slytherin bad-ass, cold, harsh, and he has always believed to be superior to everyone. Hermione never knew about this side of Draco, a kind and gentleman hidden deep inside him. She never heard anything about this side of his – they may be friends already – but why did he just become comfortable as he slept beside her? Wasn't that out of their 'friendship' borderline?

Wait – scratch that. Why did _they_ become comfortable sleeping on one bed?

It was weird, really, but she should face reality. She slept in the same bed with Draco Malfoy last night, and she was almost begging him to sleep next to her and wanted his comfort so badly.

Shaking her head, she got out from the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. She then headed for the mirror and stared at the bushy-haired woman staring back at her. Hermione brushed her hair until they were all tamed down a bit, and then grabbing her wand from the counter and muttering the Concealment Charm to hide her dark eye bags. Putting her wand back down to the counter, she stared at her reflection once again.

Hermione Granger wasn't the prettiest girl in Hogwarts, she knew that, but she wasn't the ugliest, either. Her studious and brave side scared boys away, plus her Muggle heritage which made everyone thought that she was nothing but a nerdy girl and a good-for-nothing 'Mudblood', and she hated that. She wanted everyone to acknowledge her as someone better than that.

And, last night, Draco Malfoy let her feel that way that she had always wanted to experience. He had stayed with her when she needed him very badly, and he even shared his innermost secrets to her, one of them was the nightmares that he was also having.

Smiling in contentment at her reflection with a faint blush starting to form on her cheeks as she remembered the events last night, she headed for the door and opened it, and returned to her bedroom to change for the school day.

After changing to her school uniform, she hopped down to the common room to grab her bag when she saw Draco sitting on the couch nearest to the fireplace, reading the book that she had given him on his birthday. He noticed her shortly, and even acknowledged her presence with a smile as he closed the book and left it aside. She smiled back at him as she descended the stairs.

"Good morning," he warmly greeted her. "What're your classes this morning?"

"Potions, Charms, and Arithmancy," she answered as she got her heavy bag on the table. "Oh, and good morning, too." She was about to go out of the portrait hole when his voice stopped her tracks.

"Would you mind if I'll walk with you to the Great Hall?" he asked, getting up from the couch.

She turned around before answering, smiling, "No, not really."

Draco smiled as he slung his bag on his shoulders before opening the portrait hole, letting Hermione to be the first one to go out before him. They talked as they headed to the Great Hall for their breakfast, and a new gossiping had started as they passed along the students in the corridors.

Everyone knew that the two Heads had been friends after the War, since Draco Malfoy was actually a good guy and even helped the Light Side defeat the Dark Lord. It took quite a while for them to be comfortable around each other, and they have almost sent each other to the Hospital Wing. But now, it was different. It was quite normal for the two of them to be seen together walking along the corridors or bickering during their classes, but the gossiping only started when they all found out about the huge change to the blond Slytherin, physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally.

Unlike before, he had been seen studying together with the Head Girl in the library or in the Great Hall – they even study and make schoolwork together in their common room – and he was never studious on the previous years. He started making friends to almost all the four Houses. He wasn't a heartbreaker anymore, and he never sleeps with any girl just for fun. He was now someone who looks for a girl for keeps, and never played with the girls' hearts. And also, Draco Malfoy grew up to be more muscular and more handsome, which made all the girls from the different Houses and Year Levels to swoon at the sight of him.

His 'fan girls' were jealous to Hermione Granger since she was only one who took most of his time, and he was always seen with her almost everywhere. If Harry Potter and Ron Weasley would be included in the scene, Draco Malfoy was sure to be included, too. And, the Head Girl was the luckiest woman for them, since she was fortunate enough to share a common room and bathroom with him.

There were even speculations that the two were actually dating, but the Slytherin House, especially the pug-faced Pansy Parkinson, denied this, telling the curious students that Draco would never lower himself to someone like Hermione Granger, even if she was a heroine during the War.

But then, these two people had _no idea_ that new gossips were forming all about them behind their backs.

When the two arrived in the Great Hall, most of the students were already there and were already busy eating their breakfast as they all chatted and laughed loudly in their House tables. Draco and Hermione chose to sit on the Gryffindor Table – as Heads, they could sit anywhere, for promoting the Inter-House Unity – together with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville. The two greeted the Gryffindors a warm 'Good Morning,' and they all greeted them back with smiles.

The group chatted happily as they ate, discussing various things such as Quidditch, their classes, their plans for the Halloween, and many others before they all finished eating and rushed to their classes for the morning, and before Hermione and Draco parted ways, they reminded each other to also remind the other Prefects about their assigned rounds, and their own rounds after curfew hours later.

And they rushed to their own classes that day, waiting for the hours they would spend for boring classes until they would finally have their rounds tonight.

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_(A month and a half ago)_

"_Draco, is there something wrong?" Hermione asked the blond silently, looking at him intently as Draco stared at the stars in the night sky. She slowly sat down beside him, while he was lying down on his cloak. They were in the Astronomy Tower, and they had just finished their rounds. Too tired to walk, they decided to rest a bit before returning back to their dormitories._

"_Nothing is wrong with me," he replied, not bothering to look at her. He seemed tired – probably because of that night's rounds – and sad, which made Hermione curious._

"_You seem sad," she told him, frowning a little bit, but was now gazing at the stars._

"_I'm not." He turned his head to look at her, tilting his head a little as he stared at her figure. "Curious what's on my mind, huh?"_

"_A little," she admitted, entwining her fingers together as she continued staring at the stars. Smiling, she asked him, now turning her head at him, "You were named after a constellation, right?"_

"_Yes." He turned to the stars once again, admiring the beauty of the night sky with a smile. "Most of the members of the Black Family, in my mother's side, were named after stars and constellations, and to continue that tradition, I was named after a dragon."_

_She turned back gazing at the stars, too. "You've got a cool name, though. It's unique."_

"_Quite unique, yes," he agreed as he shot his hand up high, as if he could reach the stars, staring at sky. Hermione looked at him once again, not expecting that he was already looking at her when she turned her head to him. He then gently lowered his arm and patted the space of his cloak beside him, moving to the side as if inviting her to lie down with him._

_Stuttering, she asked him, "Are you letting me-?"_

"_Hermione, come on. You know what I mean," he rolled his eyes as he said that, as if it was the most common thing to do in the world, and she was the only one who had no idea that it was. "Don't let me force you. Come here." He sounded like he was ordering her – no, scratch that once again, forcing her without physical actions whatsoever._

"_Fine," she said finally, moving herself so that she could lie down comfortably beside him. Slowly, she lied down, closing her eyes. When she felt her back rested on his cloak, she opened her eyes, staring at the night sky above._

_It had always been like that ever since they have become friends. Whenever she orders him to do something, he would surely obey her, and vice versa. It was weird, but in a good way._

_They were silent for a while, just content at staring up at the stars. And then, without her expecting, he spoke. "I met this one girl," he started with a sigh. Hermione was startled, not expecting him to answer her question earlier, but she remained silent and listened to him attentively. "And for me, she was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."_

_Draco looked at her, and she also felt his eyes on her, but she didn't look at him. Without waiting for any opinion from her, he stared at the stars once again and he went on. "She's beautiful, but I don't know if someone ever let her feel beautiful since no one, as I have heard, noticed her yet. But, I did. She just doesn't know it."_

"_Do you want me to help you?" she asked quietly, as she stared at the Orion on the sky._

"_I don't know," he answered honestly, but then smirked. "But, if you want, you can."_

"_Who is she?"_

"_Is it necessary for me to tell you things like that?"_

"_Well…" She licked her lips, as she weighed the answers. After making up her mind, she answered, "Yes."_

_He chuckled a little, making her glare at him. "What's so funny, Draco?"_

"_I won't tell you who she is, though. It's a secret."_

_Hermione stayed quiet for a long time, thinking if she would force her to tell him or not. But, she was sure that whoever that girl might be, she was lucky, and Hermione would most likely help him. Sitting up, she finally gave up, since it seems that he really had no plans on telling her about the girl he liked after quite a while, but she had a few guesses in her mind, but she wasn't sure which one of them was he referring to. "Fine," she told him as she stood up. "I'll help you a little about that little problem of yours."_

_Smiling, he also sat up, and before she could walk away from him, he grabbed her hand without any warning, making Hermione look at him. With his trademark smirk, he said, "Thank you," before getting up himself and walked towards the Heads' Dormitories with her._

_._

Hermione was recalling all about their previous encounter as she stared outside the window and into the night sky. It was already almost curfew hours, and she and Draco were assigned to do the rounds tonight until midnight. Frowning when she remembered not knowing anything about the girl that Draco was talking about that night except for his personal description about her, she looked down at the book that she was supposed to be reading, but now laid on her lap, almost forgotten.

She sighed as she looked up at Draco's door for the umpteenth time, wondering what took him so long to go back down so they could already start their rounds. She was waiting for him for about twenty minutes already in their common room, but still he didn't show up yet. She was bored, so she resumed reading her book, which was written by a certain Muggle author.

About ten minutes later, Draco's bedroom door opened, revealing a damp-haired blond Slytherin, already clad in his forest green pajamas, which were covered with his cloak. Hermione frowned at the sight of him, while Draco was grinning as he descended the stairs.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked him, obviously demanding for an explanation. She got up from the couch and placed her book aside, and then scowling as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Took my time in the shower," he answered simply.

Rolling her eyes, she got her cloak and then headed for the portrait hole, with Draco just a few steps behind her. Like the Slytherin, the brunette Gryffindor was also clad in her pajamas, but the colors were just different, since she was wearing a crimson red. Putting on her cloak, she and Draco had almost the same costume, not that anyone would care since they have all gone to sleep.

Except for maybe some other students who would be out after curfew hours that they would soon find out.

The two Heads got out of the portrait hole, and they decided to check the dungeons first, where they have seen three First Year Hufflepuffs who were sneaking out to the library to finish their schoolwork. Next was the Great Hall, followed by the different floors of the castle, the corridors, the grounds, the Room of Requirement, and lastly, the Astronomy Tower – the place where they chose to always check last, since they would have quite some time to rest there than anywhere else.

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_We'll stay quiet underneath shooting stars if it helps you sleep  
>And hold me tight, don't let me breathe<br>Feeling like you won't believe._

_~ "Firefly," Ed Sheeran_

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Draco and Hermione had finished their rounds a few minutes before midnight, and they both stayed at the Astronomy Tower for resting. The brunette sat on the cold floor, hugging her legs as she stared once again at the night sky. Draco sat down first beside her before lying down on his cloak, and then it hit her.

Their positions were like déjà vu.

She remembered vividly their positions were exactly like this when they talked about the girl that Draco secretly liked about a month and a half ago. And remembering that, Hermione frowned, and the slate gray-eyed blond seemed to notice this.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, his eyebrows knitted together as he looked at her with concern.

She jumped a little as she heard his voice. He had sat down cross-legged beside her to look at her face, and she didn't even notice this. She tried hiding her face from him, shook her head and answered in a whisper, "Nothing."

But still, she knew that Draco would be curious – he has always been. He bit the insides of his cheek and tried to consider her answer for a moment, but he decided that it wasn't quite enough. Sitting up slowly, he turned at her, sitting with his legs crossed. "Remembered something?"

Hermione nodded her head, biting her lower lip.

Draco moved closer to her, resting his hands on his thighs. Hermione remained biting her lower lip, and she still wasn't looking at him, and stared at her hands on her lap instead.

"Do you mind telling me about it? It seemed that it's bothering you," he asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing important," she answered, her voice cracking. Draco knitted his eyebrows together once again, looking at her with concern. He reached for her face and brushed some of her hair out of her face, and shot her with a smile, which she returned. Then, he pushed Hermione's head gently towards him to rest her head on his shoulder, which she let him, closing her eyes as she felt her head on his shoulder.

Humming a lullaby that his Mother had hummed every night as he was put to sleep when he was younger, he slowly wrapped an arm around her waist as he rested his head on hers, a smile forming on his lips. He held her close as he stared at the night sky, still humming. Hermione sighed in contentment, and her smile remained with her eyes still closed, which made him relieved. She was happy, at least.

Before he even knew it, the Gryffindor had entwined her fingers with his on his free hand, and moved closer to him, smiling in contentment. Draco had looked at her as she moved, searching her face and was sure that she seemed to be comfortable which made him smile, letting her entwine their fingers together, their palms clasped tightly. It was a good feeling, though, being with Hermione.

_It always was._

Kissing her head, he rested his head on hers once again as he stared at the stars and smiled, for the very first time, which reached his soul.

Hermione had fallen asleep fifteen minutes later, and since he didn't want her to be disturbed in her sleep – her nightmares might come again – he carried her all the way back to their dormitories, and even kissed her forehead and placed her bed sheets on her sleeping body as soon after placing her own her bed, and whispered 'Good Night' before heading for his bedroom to sleep.

And again, the nightmares didn't interrupt his sleep, for the second time after many months.

.

_(A week later)_

"What is that?" Draco asked her curiously. He was watching her write on a piece of parchment, and based on her facial expression, she was nervous and scared. _But, scared of what?_

Hermione's eyes widened as she heard him, and hurriedly arranged the pieces of parchment laid in front of her, and accidentally knocking her bottle of ink, letting it spill on her table and on the parchments. "Nothing, really," she replied, having this crazy look on her face. She was cursing under her breath as she continued arranging her things and cleaning up before turning to him. She was already sweating.

Draco frowned. He then approached her table, but she blocked his view from the pieces of parchment, which made him unable to read whatever she had written on it. He knew that she was hiding something. "Come on, Hermione. I know that it's something. A letter from a lover, perhaps?"

She blushed darkly, and then shook her head. He tried guessing once again. "Is it a letter from the Headmistress, telling you that you can transfer to another dormitory nearer to the Gryffindor Tower, and you're writing her a letter and you told her that you can't because you'll be missing me?" he asked, with a chuckle.

Hermione glared at him, and she couldn't help but blush on his words once again. "No, you _conceited git_!" she almost shouted at him, which made him laugh harder. Her face fell, which Draco noticed and stopped laughing, letting her speak. "Just… a letter from my grandparents."

He looked serious now, but he was looking at her with sympathy. "I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

She smiled a little at him, before looking sadly at the pieces of parchment on the table. "It's all right."

Clearing his throat – a sign of him whenever he's uneasy – he suddenly spoke after a couple of seconds later. "Uhh… I'll just grab my bag from my room. Please wait for me here for a while. I'll go down to the Great Hall with you, is it okay with you?"

Hermione nodded. "Sure." He then turned to his heel and ran all the way to his room. Before she knew it, he was running hurriedly as he descended the stairs, his bag on hung on his shoulder and grabbed her wrist, pushing the portrait open and the two both got out, walking a little bit faster than usual in the corridors, heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.

In her mind, Hermione was guilty. The letter wasn't actually from her grandparents, but she didn't want to tell about it to Draco. She knew that he wouldn't be included when she gets harmed if she won't tell anyone about it, especially him. She had to lie, to cover up what the heck was going on.

Draco had no idea that she was lying to him, that she was hiding secrets from him. He thought that she would tell them anything, since they were friends. They both considered themselves as friends, and promised that no one would hide anything from each other. He had no idea that she broke her promise.

But, what can she do?

She smiled up at him when he turned his head to look at her and smirked as they walked, and his hand was still grabbing her wrist. It wasn't a harsh gesture, really, and actually made Hermione's insides to almost blow up when she saw him smirk at her. She knew that she was attracted to him, but she never expected that it was at this level already.

It was only until that afternoon, when the brunette Gryffindor had gone to her Muggle Studies class and the blond Slytherin had a free period before their Potions class, when Draco had come across to her usual study spot in the common room. He wasn't actually that curious anymore about the letter since she told him that it was from her grandparents, but he had this strange feeling inside him that something is wrong.

Draco got the Arithmancy book which was on top of the pile of parchment and placed it aside, picking up the top piece of parchment. He wasn't being nosy or anything bad, but he was just curious about it. The handwriting was quite awful, and was as if written in a hurry. Yet, it was strangely familiar.

'_Granger,_

_Black Lake at eleven tonight. Don't tell anyone about this. You know the consequences.'_

There was no signature from whoever sent it to her. His pale eyebrows furrowed. He read the next letter. It was almost the same, but the place and time were different. There had been only three letters, which means it only started that week. He was furious. He was furious because Hermione didn't tell him that she was receiving these kinds of harsh letters sent by definitely a _fucking wanker_ who had no idea how to respect girls. He was furious, most especially, to the man who sent this. _But, who was it?_

_And, what consequences did this bloody wanker mean?_

He pushed the table forcefully due to his sudden anger, letting it fall to one side and the pieces of parchment all flew around the room, all slowly falling down around him. Didn't this person know how much he actually cared for Hermione? Didn't he know that he was up all night, calming her down from her awful nightmares, and having less sleep than usual? But, of course, this person had _no idea_.

He pushed the couch, threw the pillows to the wall, threw anything that his eyes can see around the room and his hands can grab, until the room was almost destroyed. All the furniture were crashed, thrown, or burned in the fire. But, he couldn't help himself. He needed all his anger to go out at the very moment, because he might kill somebody, whoever stops him from destroying the common room.

_She's mine. She's mine. Hermione Granger is all mine,_ he chanted in his head as he sat on the ground, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he looked around the room. He gritted his teeth, staring at the flames. _Nobody ever touches what belongs to me._

But wait, what was he thinking? Hermione Granger belongs to him?

His mind wasn't on his own will at that time. He knew it. As soon as he chanted her name in his mind and claims her to be his, Draco knew that he was mental. His mind wasn't functioning properly. But, maybe this had a reason.

Maybe his feelings for the bookworm, Hermione Granger, had intensified through the years, without him expecting to be at this level. Claiming her to be his, was that even an idea of a sane human?

Certainly not.

As if by cue, Hermione opened the portrait, and was shocked when she saw the room in total turmoil. She was about to ask him what happened, when he got up, walked towards at her and shouted at her, holding the letter for her to see. "What the _fucking hell_ does this mean?" he shouted.

He saw her eyes widen in shock, but was quickly covered by her curious façade. "I… I don't know what-"

"Oh, you know _damn well_ what the _bloody hell_ this is!" He wanted to shake her for her to tell him what was going on, and what the letter was about, but he needed to do this properly. "_Who_ sent this to you?"

She pursed her lips, and crossed her arms. "You have no right to ask me about whatever letter I receive and whoever it came from because this is something personal! You are not my Dad!" she shouted back with a scoff, rolling her eyes.

"I may not be your Dad, but I still wanted to know whoever gave you this!" He was practically placing the parchment on her face, too close to read. "This is from someone who has a sick mind and a fucking attitude, and I don't give a damn about what you think right now, because I just needed to know!"

"Like what I told you, this is nothing-"

"This is something important!"

"Why do you care so much about that letter, anyway?"

"BECAUSE I JUST CARE!" Draco screamed, the letter now crumpled and thrown to the ground. Hermione was looking at him, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. He ran his hand over his blond hair, and then took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "Look, I just care about you, you know."

Tears started falling down from her eyes, down to her cheeks. She wiped them off right away, even if she knew that he saw them already. "But, why?" she asked him, her voice cracking.

Draco's heart was racing. He knew that he had to tell her, to confess everything to her all of a sudden. He took a step forward, standing closer to her. He then reached out to touch her cheek, wiping her tear-damped cheeks with his fingers. "I just do." With that, he leaned forward and brushed his lips gently on hers. Hermione though still mad at him and unsure what to do, leaned forward to let their lips touch each other, signaling him that she allows him to kiss her, before Draco had to deepen their kiss. She tasted like strawberries – she might've been eating her favorite strawberry candies once again – when he tried to deepen their kiss, and it immediately intensified.

She couldn't understand why her mind and body had immediately shut down, and before she knew it, she was kissing him as if she was doing it to save her dear life. And also, what shocked her was that _he_ started kissing _her_, and _she_ just kissed _him_ back even though she was still mad at him. Hermione didn't know why, but she just kissed him. It must've been teenage hormones.

But, no. No matter how hard she denies this, it's not just her hormones which intensified it. I must've also been her hidden feelings, and should we say, hidden _lust_ for Draco Malfoy throughout the years.

And for an instance, she decided not to care anymore about what others think. This is her choice. _She loves him._ She really does.

Their hands have been going to places of each other where they have never touched in the past. Their pants and moans filled the room, causing the tension to become higher. Draco had lifted Hermione's legs up, and she immediately – as if it was the most common thing to do in the world – wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he pulled them out of the common room and started ascending the stairs, still not breaking their kiss, and headed for his bedroom.

When they reached his door, he had to search for the doorknob with his free hand as he used the other one to grip some on Hermione's curly hair, still kissing her, and then down to her neck, which made her moan. He then felt the doorknob and turned it right away, opening the door as they stumbled over some furniture in his room, both frantically fumbling over their clothes.

They slowly undressed; never stop kissing each other's necks and lips, their hands never leaving the each other's bodies. Draco then made their way to the bed, pushing Hermione gently on the bed, shortly crawling on her, still kissing her. He then pushed her legs apart, placing himself between her legs, and then looking at her chocolate brown eyes.

Hermione was looking back at Draco's slate gray eyes, clouded with lust and passion. But, when he stopped kissing her, she felt scared. She thought that she had done something wrong. She was worried. She didn't want this moment to end yet. She wanted to feel him. "Draco, what's-"

"Look, if we continue this, everything would change," he whispered, his voice husky.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Would it be a good change or not?" she asked, her hands gripping his arms.

"I don't know," he admitted, still looking at her eyes. Then, with a smile, he continued. "But I bet it would be a good change."

She brought her hand to cup his cheek, smiling back at him. "I don't know why all of this happened so fast, but all I want now is to feel being loved. Since Third Year, I had been wondering what's going on between us after slapping you. I had been confused."

"I was, too."

Hermione seemed to be shock after hearing him say that, but she went on. "But, I found out that I started liking you. A lot."

Draco smirked. "Of course you do, Hermione." He was silent for a while, just staring at her eyes. Before Hermione could break the silence between them, he told her, "I don't why it just happened, but I liked you since Fourth Year. Remember what I told you during the Quidditch World Cup?"

_._

_(During the attack in the Quidditch World Cup)_

_She illuminated her wand and directed its narrow beam across the path. Ron was lying sprawled on the ground._

"_Tripped over a tree root," he said angrily, getting to his feet again._

"_Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice from behind them._

_Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned sharply. Draco Malfoy was standing alone nearby, leaning against a tree, looking utterly relaxed. His arms folded, he seemed to have been watching the scene at the campsite through a gap in the trees._

_Ron told Malfoy to do something that Harry knew he would never dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley._

"_Language, Weasley," said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. "Hadn't you better hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like _her_ spotted, would you?"_

_He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily hit the trees around them._

"_What's that supposed to mean?" said Hermione defiantly._

"_Granger, they're after _Muggles_," said Malfoy. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."_

"_Hermione's a witch," Harry snarled._

"_Have it your own way, Potter," said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."_

"_You watch your mouth!" shouted Ron._

"_Never mind, Ron," said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron's arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy._

_There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly._

"_Scare easily, don't they?" he said lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to – trying to rescue the Muggles?"_

"_Where're _your_ parents?" said Harry, his temper rising. "Out there wearing masks, aren't they?"_

"_Well… if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?"_

"_Oh come on," said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, "let's go find the others."_

"_Keep that big bushy hair down, Granger," sneered Malfoy._

"_Come _on_," Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up to the path again._

_._

"But, I thought you were-"

"I need to give you tips because I was worried about you, but I had to do it behind teases, Hermione. Potter and Weasley would be suspicious, wouldn't they? After all, the three of you hated me at that time."

"Draco-"

"And in Fifth Year. Do you remember when Umbridge was trying to get information from you?"

_._

_(During Umbridge's interrogation with her squad, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna)_

_Umbridge straightened up, looking exultant._

"_Lead me to the weapon," she said._

"_I'm not showing _them_," said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers._

"_It's not for you to set conditions," said Professor Umbridge harshly._

"_Fine," said Hermione, now sobbing into her hands again, "fine… let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right – oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll be able to s-sort you out!"_

_These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge. She glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Malfoy, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed that had appeared on his face._

_Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment and then spoke in what she clrearly thought was a motherly voice. "All right, dear, let's make it just you and me… and we'll take Potter too, shall we? Get up, now-"_

"_Professor," said Malfoy eagerly. "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after-"_

"_I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" asked Umbridge sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these" – she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna – "escape."_

"_All right," said Malfoy, looking sulky and disappointed._

"_And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," said Umbridge, pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on…"_

_._

"I wanted so bad to go with you there, and I never wanted any of the other members of the squad to come. Only me, so I could keep an eye on that plump witch and Potter, and because I was curious of what the weapon was," Draco admitted.

Hermione could feel her eyes sting, and before she knew it, tears were falling from her eyes. Draco, though startled that she started crying, wiped her tears with his thumb.

"Hey, did I say something wrong?" he asked with concern.

She shook her head, and then smiled at him, her hand on his nape and pulled him close for their lips to touch. Then, she pulled away, still smiling at him. "I'm happy, really. Knowing that you like me."

"Gee, Hermione. You're making me blush," Draco said jokingly. Then, tucking a curl behind her ear, he suddenly got serious. He was staring at her eyes once again. "I love you, Hermione."

She brought her hand back to his cheek and cupped it once again, brushing his pale skin with her thumb, making him shiver a little. "I know. I love you, too." With her free hand, she touched his sculpted chest, not breaking their eye contact. "But now, I just want to feel you."

He smirked before leaning towards her, kissing her forehead, down to her nose, and then to her mouth, sucking her lower lip. A moan escaped from her as she felt his fingers slowly brushing her inner thighs.

About twenty minutes later, Draco had rolled off her and lied down on the bed on his back beside her, pulling the covers over the two of them. Hermione then rested her head on his chest, her hands reaching for his and he let her entwine their fingers together, just like what she had done before. She smiled as she looked at their hands, before drifting off to sleep. When he noticed her breaths deepen – a sign that she had already fallen asleep – Draco kissed her forehead and whispered, "I love you, Hermione Granger. Ever since." And with that, he, too, drifted to sleep.

.

The sunlight hit her eyes the next day, causing Hermione to suddenly wake up from her sleep. Without opening her eyes, her eyebrows were knitted together when she felt her head wresting on something quite hard, like a chest of a person instead of her pillow which was usually soft. She tried to move, but she felt something stopping her to do so.

She opened one eye to see what was stopping her movements, only to see a blond man sleeping peacefully beside her, his arms around her. To her surprise, she opened both of her eyes and gasped loudly, causing the blond man to stir a little, pulling her closer to him.

Last night's activities hit her all of a sudden.

Hermione knew that she should've been kicking him off the bed, shouting and throwing hexes to him, but she didn't. Instead, she smiled as she examined his angelic face, deep in his sleep. She reached to touch his face, and let her fingers play with his blond hair, making him stir once again. Then, he slowly opened his slate gray eyes and looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

For the first time in her life, a man, Draco Malfoy – her supposed to be archenemy – was simply looking at her, but with only that, she felt very beautiful. No one else made her feel like that.

"Morning, love," he greeted with a charming smile.

"Good Morning, too," she greeted back.

Draco then pulled her closer to him to catch her lips and gave a chaste kiss, which she returned. Then, they pulled away, and he tucked another curl behind her ear. "I think I like seeing you like this."

"Like what?" she asked, letting her fingers touch his arm.

Draco shot her that trademark smirk of his. "You know, naked and sleeping beside me every morning. I was always grumpy in the morning, until now. Now, I like the idea of having you in my bed every morning. I think we should really have that arranged?"

She felt her cheeks getting hot, but she managed to hit him playfully on his arm. She was almost petrified when he said that. It made her feel aroused and beautiful once again.

It was a good thing that it was a Saturday that day, which made them have a good quality time together for the whole day. They didn't even question each other's clothes – the blond only wearing his forest green boxers while the brunette was wearing the Slytherin's shirt and her shorts. They seemed more comfortable around each other than before now, even with their clothes just like that.

They talked about a lot of things with coffee and something to eat before making their schoolwork for the next week. And since it was their last year in Hogwarts, they studied for their N.E.W.T.S. in advanced.

It was only that night before going to sleep when Draco had finally managed to ask Hermione about the letter. She was sitting on the couch in the common room, reading a Muggle book, as usual, in front of the fireplace. When she noticed his presence, she looked up at him and smiled, closing the book and placing it aside. "Draco, what is it?" she asked, placing her hands on her lap.

"I just wanted to ask you something," he said, walking towards the couch and sat beside her. Before he can even continue, Hermione pulled him towards her and let him lie down on the couch, his head resting on her lap as she tangled her fingers with his blond hair.

"Go on."

"Well, I wanted to ask you about the letter," he blurted out, but his tone was relaxed. He couldn't see Hermione's face that much from his position, but he felt her stiffen. And then, she went on playing with his hair, as if she didn't hear anything. She just sat there in silence, her fingers running on his hair. It made Draco frustrated, which made him ask once again in a higher voice.

"Hermione, tell me everything about who sent you that letter."

She stopped her movements once again, but she still stared at the dancing fire in front of them. And before he could ask her once more, she broke her silence.

"Blaise Zabini," she whispered as she went on with playing on his blond hair. "He… sent me all those."

Draco, in shock, sat up and looked at her, so angry that his nose was almost flaring. "Why didn't you tell me about that?" he shouted in anger, and he fought the urge to shake her.

"He told me that he'll kill you when I would tell you about it."

"And you followed his_ fucking_ orders?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked him quietly, looking down on her lap. When Draco was about to protest to her once again, she stopped him. "I care about you, all right? I didn't want you to be harmed, that's why I did that."

_Ugh._ Hermione can say these sweet things even without her noticing – she says that herself. Draco's angry words about his Housemate have been forgotten after hearing what she had told him. Instead, he looked at her with sympathy, as tears started streaming down her face. He leaned closer to wipe her tears before kissing her, softly at first, but when she responded, he deepened the kiss and then leaned away to look at her and breathe for air.

"Tell me what he had done to you," he ordered her, tucking an auburn curl behind her ear before cupping her face. She hesitated at first, but he was looking expectantly at her, and it was obvious that he was concerned of her, which made her happy.

He really had feelings for her.

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. Draco's pale eyebrows furrowed once again, wanting for her to answer him. Then, she told him, almost a whisper, "A lot of things."

"Just like what?"

"He told me that he was planning to kill you, but he wouldn't if I would follow his orders, just like going out secretly with him or letting him kiss me."

"That wanker was harassing you!" Draco almost screamed, trying to calm himself down by biting the insides of his cheeks and running a hand on his platinum blond hair.

"Yes, but I had to do it… _for you_," Hermione told him, wiping the tears that have escaped her eyes. Then, she looked at him sadly. "Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at _him_," he spat out.

"Do I mean a lot to you?" she asked quietly.

He rolled his eyes and turned his head to her. But, when he looked at Hermione, all of his anger towards Blaise Zabini was all gone and forgotten, _again_. Just by looking at her frail form and slightly shivering – maybe because she remembered what the bloody bloke had done to her – he found himself pitying her. He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her. She rested her head on his shoulders. And they just stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other and never wanting anyone or anything to interrupt them.

Today, it was only the two of them.

.

Classes resumed on Monday, and Draco had insisted to walk with Hermione at all times, especially when he had free periods and hasn't got any classes. Hermione tried to talk to him that it wasn't really necessary, but Draco wanted to make sure that she was safe at all times.

The other students didn't seem to notice the difference between the two Heads because ever since the first day of the school year, they have been really close already. Only Harry, Ron, and Ginny had noticed this and asked Hermione and Draco about it, but the blond Slytherin had only told them that he just wanted to be a gentleman to the Gryffindor brunette because he noticed that her school bag had gotten heavier.

_Such a lame excuse,_ Hermione thought, snickering inwardly as Draco explained it to her friends.

But, to her surprise, her friends bought the excuse and headed to their classes. Hermione frowned. Her friends had been very comfortable already with Draco around and they trusted him. It was actually a good thing, but sometimes, it wasn't, just like today.

She then remembered about Blaise Zabini on their way to their Potions Class that morning. She had remembered what the Slytherin had done to her last week.

_._

_(Three days ago)_

_Hermione didn't know what to do after reading the anonymous letter._

_She was scared what the unknown man can do to her. Whoever he was, she knew that he was up to no good. He had told her that he would harm Draco Malfoy if she wouldn't come to their rendezvous spot – the Black Lake – at eleven, tonight. She wanted to tell about it so badly to Draco, but she was scared if the unknown man would find out that Draco had find out about the letter. He might kill him._

_Looking at the Muggle wall clock, she frowned when she found out that it was already ten thirty in the evening, giving her half an hour to decide. She had to be there, or else… She didn't want to think about the consequence anymore. She stood up from her study table and headed to her room to change._

_She then descended the flight of steps after changing her clothes, and gasped when she heard the portrait door open, revealing the platinum blond-haired Slytherin, clad in his Quidditch uniform, his broomstick on one hand, and covered in sweat. Draco looked at Hermione, and it was obvious that he was happy to see her._

"_Hey, there," he greeted her, smiling. When he saw that she was wearing her cloak, he asked her, "Are you going out for a walk? I could go with you."_

Shit.

_Hermione could feel her blood draining from her face, and her hands were clammy. She wanted to tell him about the letter and let him go with her to the Black Lake, in case if the unknown man would hurt her, but she just couldn't. "Uh… yes, but I wanted to walk around alone. You know… let me think about a few things for a while."_

Was that your excuse, Hermione Granger? And they say you're the Brightest Witch of Your Age. Pathetic,_ Hermione thought and cursed under her breath. _

_Draco hesitated, but then shrugged. "All right. But, if you'd change your mind, tell me," he told her. Before opening the bathroom door, he added, "And, if someone is bothering you, let me know. I can help you with that." Then, he opened the door and was gone, leaving Hermione alone in the common room._

_She had to go alone, and she knew that._

_Sighing, she looked at the Muggle wall clock once again. She only has ten minutes to go to the Black Lake. Then, she looked at the closed bathroom door, her tongue itching to tell Draco about the letter she received, but her body betrayed her. Instead, she walked towards the portrait door, pushed it open, and got out, leaving an oblivious Draco Malfoy in their dormitory._

_When she reached the Black Lake, she was utterly alone. She wanted to go back, and run towards Draco, telling him everything about the man who sent her a letter. But, before she could even decide, she felt a cold blade on her throat, and her back was pinned to a chest of a man._

"_Don't scream, Mudblood. If you would, you should probably know what'll happen to you," the man whispered to her ear, making her shiver. She nodded hesitantly, and the man let her go._

_She then looked at the man, and was shocked when she figured who it was._

_Hermione was sure that it was Blaise Zabini since she had seen him with Draco in the past. He was a Slytherin, same year as her. She just didn't expect that he would send her the letter, since she had always thought him to be neutral and a good person… but she knew that she was wrong._

"_What do you want from me?" Hermione asked quietly, her voice rising a bit and stepping away from him. She had to look strong in front of him. She was a bloody Gryffindor, someone who was supposed to be brave, for crying out loud! Where the hell is her Gryffindor courage?_

_Blaise sensed her fear, and smirked as he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "Do you really want to know, Granger?" he asked her, obviously taunting her. She nodded, which made him smirk wider. "Well, to be honest, I wanted to shag you senseless… but Draco didn't want me to even touch you. Quite overprotective, don't you think?"_

_She was trying to let the Slytherin release his grip from her wrist, but when she heard Draco's name, her head snapped up, looking at him. "What're you talking about?"_

"_You aren't as intelligent as I thought you were, Granger," Zabini told her. She was about to protest, but he went on talking. "Draco had been attracted to you ever since, and I was somewhat attracted to you, too, and he noticed it. He was being so protective of you, you know? And I know that you like him and you care for him, so I thought of this plan."_

_She looked at him with disgust. "You're sick."_

"_I know, but I don't care." He shrugged, gripping her wrist tighter, making her cry out in pain. "Oh, did I hurt you? Sorry about that. Draco isn't here to help you, is he?"_

_Hermione didn't answer him. Instead, she reached for her wand, and Blaise noticed it, and grabbed her other wrist and turned her around so that her back is resting on his chest, leaving her defenseless without a wand. He smirked widely. "Just follow my orders, Mudblood. If you would, then your beloved Draco would not be harmed, including yourself. And, no asking for help from the pathetic people you call friends. I could even include them if you would report this to anyone."_

"_Fuck you, Blaise."_

"_As much as I wanted to do that to you now, but it seems not the right time yet," he said, letting her go and pushing her hard to the ground. Hermione grunted as she felt her body hit the cold ground, and then glared at Zabini, who was towering over her. "See you around Hogwarts, princess."_

_Blaise turned around and walked away, but before he could go back inside the castle, he told her loudly in a sing-song voice, "No one should know anything about this." And then, he was gone._

_._

"…and Potter didn't say anything at all! I did a pretty good excuse, did I?" Draco asked her as they walked, which snapped her back to reality. She didn't answer right away, but she stared at him as he continued talking about the excuse that he made for her. He seemed to be proud of it.

She didn't even notice that they were already in the dungeons.

When he noticed that she didn't response, he turned to look at her, and was surprised when he saw her staring at him. "Hey, what's wrong? Something on my face?"

Hermione got out of her trance, and shook her head. Draco stopped walking, making her cease her tracks, too. He was looking at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just… thinking about other things…"

"Don't think about whatever that bastard had done to you." She noticed his hands clenched on his sides, and then she looked up back at him, his eyes full of rage. "I'll kill him for it."

"Calm down, please," she begged, rubbing his back with her tiny hand.

"Don't expect me to calm down after whatever he has done to you, Hermione."

"I'll be fine. I'm bringing my wand at all times, and I am always on my guard. I promise, I won't be hurt," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to place a peck on his cheek. Then, she looked up at him and smiled, knowing that Draco would drop this conversation soon. She was certain of that. And Hermione Granger is often correct in her assumptions.

"Fine. Just be careful, okay?" he told her, cupping her cheek. She nodded and smiled once again at him, which now her returned and kissed her nose. Then, hand-in-hand, they continued their way to the dungeons for their Potions Class.

.

_(Two months later)_

It had been two months since Blaise Zabini has sent a letter to Hermione, which made Draco and Hermione feel a bit relaxed. Draco even noticed that his former best mate had been missing in their classes, and when he asked the new Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall, about it, she told him that Zabini had to go home because he had to do something important. Hermione even wanted Blaise to never come back until they graduate, but Draco wasn't sure. He was really curious where he was, since he wasn't sure that Hermione was really safe now. He said that maybe the Slytherin had plans.

Call it a guy instinct.

Draco had still remembered her words when he had told her to keep guard at all times. _"I would be fine."_ She had assured him, but still, he was uneasy. He had a weird feeling that this isn't over yet.

But, that time when Blaise Zabini went missing gave him time with Hermione. He stole kisses from her whenever they are alone in the corridors – which had always turned into passionate snogging sessions. He had held hands with her when no one seemed to notice them, making Hermione blush beautifully at him and gives him a tiny, shy smile. And sometimes, when they just couldn't get their hands off each other, they would end up sleeping together. But most of the time, they would just hold each other as they stare at the night sky, slowly drifting to sleep.

He knew that those little, intimate times he had shared with Hermione would be memorable, whatever happens. And certainly, the brunette would also remember it, and most probably treasure it forever.

Smiling to himself as he thought of all these, he absent-mindedly knocked the small pot of ink, splattering it on his parchment where he was writing his almost finished Potions essay. He hadn't even noticed this if it wasn't for Hermione, who was looking down on his messy table, calling his name. Draco got out of his trance and then looked down on his parchment before looking up at the furious Hermione Granger, ranting about wasting his parchment, his bottle of ink, and his effort.

"-problem would've only been drying up the ink after finishing your essay, but now you have to-"

Draco ran a hand over his platinum blond hair. "Hermione, listen-"

"-start all over again! Those hours that you have spent writing that essay-"

He tried to distract her by clearing his throat to halt her ranting, but it didn't work. She went on ranting, added with her hand gestures and her facial expression. "-are wasted! Who's going to be-"

"HERMIONE GRANGER, WOULD YOU SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE AND LISTEN?" Draco fumed, glaring at Hermione furiously. Hermione's face was red, due to her ranting and anger, and she was also glaring at Draco as she closed her mouth and let him speak. The blond boy, after finishing counting from one to ten to calm himself down, looked at her once again and felt a bit relaxed.

"I'm just distracted, all right?" he told her, and she had seemed to calm down, too. He arranged the pieces of parchment and cleaned the mess using his wand, while Hermione sighed in exhaustion as she summoned a chair and sat on it, looking at what he was doing silently.

When he was done and had arranged all of his stuff, she muttered, "I'm sorry for overacting."

Draco looked at her, and shot her a tiny smile, leaning forward to cup her face with one hand. "It's fine. You have a reason for ranting. And, anyway, I'm sorry for shouting at you."

She gave him back a tiny smile, too, and touched his hand gently. "Oh, it's all right. I was just talking too fast and loudly, and it surely made you mad. It was my fault, anyway."

He crossed the space between them and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her forehead, and it stayed there longer than it should've been.

Their fights these days have always turned out to be similar to this – after shouting at each other to the top of their lungs, they would just apologize to each other and continue their lives. No heartbreaks. No headaches. No hexing or curses, whatsoever. When they fight, they make-up instantly. Such a strong relationship, as what others would've said.

_I just hope that this wouldn't be the end yet._

.

_(A week later)_

'_Granger,_

_It's been long, hmm? The Forbidden Forest after dinner. Be there, and don't be late.'_

Draco crushed the piece of parchment on his hands and threw it forcefully on the open fire. Then, he turned to look at Hermione, whose tears started to escape from her eyes and was also looking back at him.

"He's back?" he asked her angrily, fighting the urge to shake her and pulling all of his hair off. Hermione, to his horror, nodded. He started throwing anything that his hands can touch, throwing them all away due to his anger. Hermione got up from the couch and tried to stop him frantically, shouting at him to stop.

"DRACO, STOP! PLEASE!" she pleaded, trying to catch his arms so that he would stop in messing up with the common room. He stopped, yes, but he had a weird look on his eyes when he stared at her.

"You will not go there, understood?" he ordered her. "You will certainly not."

"I have to, or he would be suspicious! He would try to kill you!"

"No, he wouldn't and he couldn't. I know Blaise. He may be an arse, but he couldn't hate me to the extent that he would really try to kill me. So, please, Hermione, for your own safety, _don't_ go."

"Draco-"

"But if you go, then I'll go with you and we could handle this together." He took her hands and held it with his, his face determined. Then, lowering his eyes, he whispered, just enough for Hermione to hear, "I don't want to be hurt, like what they did to _them_."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "Who're you referring to?" she asked, curious of what he was talking about. Draco hesitated for a moment, clenching and unclenching his hands as he thought of how to explain it to her. Then, before she could ask once again, he spoke.

"Those girls who were raped during the War," he answered quietly, not looking at her.

The brunette's eyes widened. "What?" Draco didn't even try to look at her, so she lifted his chin so that he could look at her straight in the eyes. "Some of the girls were raped?"

Draco sighed. "I don't want to talk about this, Hermione."

"Please, Draco. I want to know." It wasn't a lie. She was really curious about what he had just told her. Nobody told her that there were girls who got raped during the War. And, most of all, she wondered why Draco had mentioned this in their conversation.

"The other Death Eaters had managed to kidnap a few young girls for rape. They even wanted me to join them, but I refused. I was forced to watch instead."

Hermione's eyes glistened with tears. "You watched?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I had to. I had no other choice," he replied quietly, lowering his eyes once again.

Hermione was unsure of what to do, but she couldn't let him see it. She pitied those girls. But, Gryffindors are supposed to be brave, and she could handle her problems herself. She knew it. She could beat anyone if she wanted, because she was Hermione Granger. Blaise wouldn't be a huge problem for her.

"Draco, I promise that I would come back, and I would be fine. Now please, I have to change so that I could go and meet him. I promise you that I would be on guard at all times, and my wand is always on the ready." She wiped her tears and then kissed him on the cheek, and then insisting one last time, "Please?"

"Hermione, I don't know-"

"I am doing this for us, Draco. I know that I could beat him if he would attack me. I was a heroine of the War, remember? If I defeated a lot of people who tried to kill me, then one man wouldn't be a problem." She placed a hand on top of his, and smiled at him. "I can do this myself."

Sighing in defeat, Draco nodded, and held her hand. "All right. But promise me that you'll come back?"

"I promise. I love you."

"I know. I love you, too."

Peppering her with more kisses, he smiled back at her before releasing her and watched her as she ascended the stairs and opened the door of her bedroom. Then, he, too, ascended up the short flight of stairs and opened his bedroom door, before quietly closing it behind him.

.

_Was it just me, or the air just got colder than a while ago? _Hermione thought, as she pulled her cloak closer to her body and continued walking towards the Forbidden Forest. Her nose had stung due to the cold, and she was starting to shiver – bot just because of the cold, but also of fear.

She was unsure of what Blaise Zabini might do to her that night. But whatever it is, she hoped that it wouldn't be brutal and harsh. His hurtful words are better than actually hurting her.

She then checked her pocket if her wand was still there, and thankfully, it still was. Then, she stopped when she already noticed that she was already at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest, and sat down on a large boulder and waited for the Slytherin to come.

Before she even knew it, someone had pulled her hair roughly and had placed her hands behind her. She tried to shout for help, but no words came out from her mouth. Then, it hit her. She was placed under _Silencio_ by Blaise Zabini, and she was sure of that.

A low yet undeniably evil laugh had filled her ears, and she was starting to be frightened. She couldn't reach her wand, her only hope to defeat the Slytherin. She couldn't shout for help. And, she couldn't reach Draco. She had wished that she had followed what Draco had said earlier, but she didn't. Tears started to fill her eyes, which made the evil laughter to volume up.

"Sorry, Mud blood, but no _Draco Malfoy _or any of your _pathetic friends_ to help you tonight," he told her, as he started to kiss her nape harshly. She tried to escape from his grip by kicking his shins and squirming, but her efforts had no use, but it had angered Blaise.

"STOP SQUIRMING!" he bellowed, pointing his wand on her neck, and she stopped moving right away. "I know what you did when I was away, Mud blood. I have eyes and ears all over Hogwarts. You and Draco are already together? Not a good choice, Granger. You have bought your way to hell."

"I love him, and I don't care what other people would say! He's strong and a really good person, way better than you!" she shouted, which made Blaise angrier, and tightened his grip on her wrists and hair.

She couldn't take the pain anymore, so she frantically kicked him even though she couldn't see what she was kicking. Fortunately, her feet collided on his balls, making his grip loosen and she had finally got away from him and started running away from him as fast as she could. She needed to get away from there and reach Draco's arms. She needed him so badly…

But, before she could finally escape from him, a green jet of light had hit her, and she had stopped running, slowly falling to her knees before her body had hit the snow-covered ground.

.

_I found your hairband on my bedroom floor, the only evidence that you've been here before_

_And I don't get waves of missing you anymore; they're more like _

_Tsunami tides in my eyes – never getting dry._

_~ "U.N.I.," Ed Sheeran_

.

Draco stared at the grave in front of him, already filled with different types of flowers in various colors. He gripped the stem of the single, black rose that he was holding, and ignored the thorns that had buried deep in his palm. He was struggling so hard not to cry, but he couldn't stop it. A lone tear fell from his left eye, and he hastily wiped it off, not breaking the eye-contact with the grave.

The others had also grieved for Hermione's sudden death, and they have been there earlier with Draco. Ginny had broken down and was sobbing loudly, while Harry was trying to comfort Ginny as he tried not to cry, too. Ron was silently crying beside George, who was patting his back. Most of Hermione's friends had cried, but Draco didn't shed a tear when they were still there. But when he was already alone, he had cried, but not that much. He was trying so hard not to.

He kneeled on one knee, and then placed the black rose among the colorful flowers. It was the only sad color in there, as if it didn't actually belong there. But Draco didn't care. Nobody knew about their relationship, not even now, and Draco had no plan on telling it to the others. He couldn't take the pain anymore. It was really painful, just by thinking that he would never hold her against him anymore.

"Hey," he whispered to the grave, his smile wavering. "Why didn't you come back? You promised you would. You promised me, Hermione." He felt another tear streaming down his face, but he didn't wipe it off. Instead, he traced the words written on her grave with his fingers, reading what was carved on it.

_In loving memory of Hermione Jean Granger_

_September 19, 1979 – February 10, 1999_

_A loving daughter and best friend._

_From your family and friends,_

"_We all love you."_

More tears escaped from his eyes as rain started to fall down from the sad sky. The heavens must've also been grieving for her death, because it also seemed to be crying. Draco's tears were mixed with the raindrops, and they slowly fall from his cheeks to the wet ground. Then, he stood up, still staring at Hermione's epitaph before smiling sadly at it, and slowly turns away.

But Draco didn't know that a few meters away from him were Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, who were standing under an oak tree and were both looking at him as he walked away from their best friend's grave. Ginny was silently crying as Harry wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Who knew that Draco Malfoy would actually fall in love with her?"

.

Draco read the article in the Daily Prophet during breakfast in the Great Hall. His face was emotionless as he read the headline for that day: _'Blaise Zabini Thrown in Azkaban for Murder._' He should've been happy at least, since his former mate had been sent to Azkaban after murdering Hermione, and at least her death was given justice. But, he didn't do anything at all. He just sat there, expressionless, before placing the newspaper aside and ate his breakfast silently.

Everyone noticed his sudden change. He never spoke to anyone unless he was asked about something really important. He never goes around the castle that much, nor does he bond with his Housemates. He doesn't socialize anymore. Sometimes, during classes, he just stares outside the castle or into space, his face emotionless. There are even times when he doesn't go to the Great Hall anymore, and would sometimes skip classes to lock himself up in his dormitory.

Everyone was sad when they found out about Hermione Granger's death, especially because she became a heroine of the War and she was friendly and helpful to all. But, they weren't expecting for a Slytherin, specifically, Draco Malfoy to grieve so much after her death.

No one knew that whenever he locks himself in his room, he just cries silently and stares at the night sky before sleeping. Sometimes, he wouldn't even sleep at all, causing large, dark bags to form under his eyes. He has gotten paler and thinner, too. There are even times that the new Head Girl – Ginny Weasley – would run to the headmistress and report that he was in a total mess. He would thrash around and scream at the top of his lungs. Draco Malfoy wasn't in his usual attitude anymore.

His grades have gotten lower, too.

All of his changes shocked the students, causing for a new gossip to form and spread around the school, but Draco didn't mind them. He doesn't care about the world anymore, since Hermione was already gone. He felt like committing suicide.

Suicide had been in his mind for the past months, but everyone had kept a close eye on him. McGonagall would have to confiscate his wand every night. Slughorn had to look for a new hiding place for all of his potions, just in case he would use it for poisoning himself. Even his classmates had to guard him, especially when his mind would wander off the classroom.

Madam Pomfrey had tried giving Dreamless Potions to him, but he would refuse to take them in. If he uses it, the potion had no effect at all, since he would still have nightmares about Hermione and how she died. His mother, Narcissa, had even considered taking him to St. Mungo's, but he wouldn't allow that. He still believed that Hermione would return, even though she wouldn't.

Draco's life had been like a living hell, especially because Hermione wasn't there with him anymore.

Ending his life would be easy to escape from all of his problems.

.

"Malfoy, hand me your wand, and I'm taking it to the headmistress," Ginny ordered him, extending her open palm to him.

Draco silently rummaged his pockets and took out his wand. Then, he placed his hawthorn wand on her palm and she quickly gripped it and walked away. Noticing that she had left her school bag at the top of the stairs, he stared at her retreating figure, but didn't call for her. Instead, he sighed before opening his bedroom door, and got inside, closing the door behind him.

He placed his bag on top of his bed and started taking off his uniform. He then looked around the room as he placed his clothes in the hamper. He then noticed that underneath his bed was something curved. Bending down, he got the thing and examined it. It was a hair band, and his eyes immediately widened when he remembered its owner.

It was Hermione Granger's hair band, his gift for her during Christmas.

_._

_(Christmas, 1998)_

"_You can open your eyes now," Draco whispered on her ear as he slowly uncovered her eyes from his hands. Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the huge box in front of her. She smiled, and then turned to look at Draco, her eyes were shouting with pure bliss._

"_Draco," she started, but she can't find the right words to say. He smirked at her before leaning forward to kiss her nose, and then smiling down at her before wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_Open it," he told her, motioning for her to open his gift._

"_Thank you so much," she told him, before pulling him into a kiss, which he responded right away. Smiling, she leaned away to open his gift as he watched her. She pulled the green ribbon and tore the gift wrapping before opening the black box. To her delight, she saw a red hairband with little white gemstones on it, and underneath the hair band was a golden dress._

"_I don't know what to say," she admitted, before looking up at Draco. He was smiling down at her, and started wiping away the tears of happiness which were streaming down her face. "But… thank you."_

"_Oh, don't mention it," he told her as he hugged her once again. "You deserve these."_

_Then, he pulled away from their embrace and got the hair band from the box. He then placed it on top of her head, and then smiled. "Beautiful," he said. "Beautiful as always, Hermione."_

_Blushing darkly, she turned and got the golden dress before heading for the bathroom. Draco, though he had an idea what she would do later, smirked to himself as he walked towards the couch in front of the fireplace, waiting for her to emerge. A few minutes later, she returned, admiring her dress as she walked towards him._

"_This is so pretty," she said, touching the hair band on her head. "I can't believe that you've given me these really wonderful things. Thank you so much, Draco."_

"_Hey, no problem." Then, he motioned for her to sit next to him, and she sat down right away without any second thoughts. "You don't really have to thank me a lot, really."_

"_It's just because I wasn't expecting for you to give me something like this," she admitted, pointing to the pretty, golden dress that she was now wearing. Looking at him, she smiled. "These are officially my two favorites, already."_

"_Those should really be in your favorites, especially because you've got no gift for me tonight," he said, leaning forward until their faces are only inches away from each other. "I think I will suggest something that could be your Christmas gift for me." And then, with another of his trademark smirks, he said, "Happy Christmas, Hermione."_

"_Happy Christmas, too, Draco," she said before Draco had pressed his lips on hers. Pulling back a little, she said, almost a whisper, "I think I have an idea what you're suggesting me to do." Then, she placed a hand on his nape and pulled him closer, letting their lips meet once again._

_._

Ever since that day, she had always used that hair band, especially when Draco would suggest for her to sleep in his room. The golden dress was used during the New Year's Eve when they both decided to stay for the holidays and where they both kissed when it was twelve midnight. That was most probably why she left the hair band here, which made his heart cry. He knew that she wouldn't be barging in his room and asks for her hair band anymore, since she's gone.

Frowning, he remembered that they didn't even spend Valentine's Day together, and they were even busy planning where to spend it a week before, and he never expected for her to just be… gone before that much-awaited day, since it was also supposed to be their monthsary.

Looking outside the terrace of his room, an idea hit him. He then stood up from his bending position, and he walked towards the porch as if he was in a trance, and opened the glass door. The cold air hit him, and made him shiver since he was half-naked, but he didn't care. He then approached the sides of his porch and gripped the handles tight, looking up at the night sky.

"Hermione," he whispered, still staring at the stars above him. "Wait for me; I'll be there in a little bit." Then, without any hesitations at all, he stepped at the railings and looked at the jagged cliffs below him. The loch was _inviting_, since it looked so peaceful and offers eternal silence. He knew exactly what to do.

He was staring at the waves hitting the sides of the cliffs, and he knew that there would be peace in there. After all of his problems, just by doing this, would all end right away. Closing his gray eyes, he inhaled the cool night breeze and exhaled it slowly.

He remembered their first and last kiss that they shared, her smiles directed at him when he does something that would make her happy, and their first date in the Room of Requirement. He even remembered her peppering him kisses when he's got a problem, waking up next to her after a blissful night, folding her clothes next to his at the end of her bed before sleeping and hugging her close to him. Those were truly one of his treasured moments in his life.

"_I promise. I love you."_

Those were the last words that she had told him. She promised that she would return, and she told him that she loved him. But then, she didn't come back, but she did let him feel that she really loved him when she could. And now, he would let her feel that he truly loved her so much.

A lone tear escaped from his eye, soon followed by the next, and he didn't even bother to wipe them off his face. The tears in his eyes made his vision blurry as he stared at the waters below him. He knew what to do right away when he found out that she was being murdered, but he only had the chance to do it tonight. Living without her was like a living hell. And he knew that he has only one way so that they would be together once again – he had to give up his life.

He had no hesitations or any second thoughts. He wanted to be with her so badly.

_Just wait for me, love._

And with that one last thought, he pushed himself from the railings and felt himself falling down. _Down._

.

_There's a knot in my toes, standing close to the edge._

_There's a pile of my clothes at the end of your bed._

_As I feel myself fall, make a joke of it all._

_~ "Moments," One Direction_

_._

The End.


End file.
